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Sunday, October 28, 2007

Several years ago, I participated in a swap of plaid swappers stars and decided to make some machine appliqué alternate blocks . . . and stalled after making the first half-dozen . . . Last summer, when Micki announced her scrappy mountains majesties swap. I thought it was perfect, since I'd thought my plaid happy quilt needed a scrappy plaid border of Delectable Mountains blocks. Today, I pulled out some of the blocks and put them up on the design wall to see how it might look.

I think all that plaid would probably benefit from some cream and tan sashing, but I think I like it.

For Micki's swap, each swap chose the color combination they wanted to receive . . . and allowed me to choose plaid as a color. Making the blocks for others was an exercise in stash diving to find the right combination for everyone. I think choosing fabrics was the hardest part of the swap–we used Bonnie's scrappy mountain majesties pattern which is easy peasy.

The My Recycled Bags site has free patterns and more ideas for creative re-use and recycling.

While the disposable/fast fashion industry continues to expand (see Is disposable fashion killing the planet?) these creative women are refashioning thrifted garments and creating fashion from trash . . . and walking a little more gently on the planet.

Besides being Blog Action Day--more on that later--today is also my 2 year blogiversary.

Reflecting on blogging, blog-rings and other online communities led me to think about real life communities like quilt guilds, then quilting and quilts and finally my quilts. (It was a very tangential bit of reflection.)

It feels like my days of omnivore quilting may be coming to an end. I'm thinking this quilt class junkie may finally be in recovery (curiously, neither of the classes I'm taking at Quilt Festival in Houston are quilting classes).

I'm interesting to see what all this means for my quilts-in-the-making.

Last month, at the museum sale, someone asked if I would take a photo of "the African American Quilts" for her. This Maple Leaf quilt by Rosie Wilkins was one.

When we were packing up, I asked one of the staff what made this an African American quilt. Besides having known the quilter, she pointed to the use of fabrics, the way the blocks are set together and the irregular quilting design.

I was thinking about this quilt when I was struggling with those 3-inch swap blocks. Made by many quilters, using several patterns, there was a lot of variation in size in my 48 swap blocks. I realized that it would never occur to me to put them together in a freer style like this quilt, where no effort was made to line things up.

Speaking of my quilt, thanks for all the suggestions and feedback on my little quilt. I'm hoping to have it finished and hanging in my office on Monday.

If you're curious, here's the other Rosie Wilkins quilt that was for sale, labeled Rolling Star.

Yes, I wish I'd opened them up and taken photos of the whole quilt, but Carolyn–who wanted the photos–was more interested in detail shots of the blocks (which you can see here, here and here.)

So far this week, record-breaking 90 dregrees and sun, two cold fronts and, now, frosty breezes. Autumn has truly arrived in the mitten state. Trees are quickly going from green to colorful to leafless . . . and I am already not looking forward to another Michigan winter.

Earlier this week, this volunteer sunflower–from my neighbor's bird feeder, I think–bloomed. I'm wondering now how long it will live.

To focus on the NOW, this afternoon, I pulled out some well-aged miniature Maple Leaf blocks (from an exchange in 2001) and started work on this little reminder of the beauty of the season.

I'm auditioning the border fabric--a sentimental piece, one of the first quilting fabrics I purchased and probably the oldest thing in my stash--what do you think?

I've been more than a little envious of the doll quilt swappers in the 4-seasons swap and of Ginger's swappeers on the forum on Quilting.about.com. This little beauty may tide me over until the next round of doll quilting swapping. Now . . . to decide on borders and get it quilted ;-)